LET'S TALK BBM (Big Beauty Mistakes)

myth 1.

IT'S SAFE TO COMBINE ACTIVES, SO LONG AS YOU USE IT IN THE CORRECT ORDER

Even if our skin isn't sensitive, it can become that way by over-using active ingredients such as vitamins, peptides and acids. Using these in the correct order won't much difference (although it can impact the efficacy of your products). What we could recommend is easing the frequency of strong acid treatments and peels (especially AHAs) if your skin is ageing, prone to redness or sensitivity. And rather than combining vitamin serums, try using it like a course (e.g. use a vitamin C serum until it finishes, give your skin a couple of weeks' break, and then try a retinol serum until before moving back to vitamin C or changing it up to niacinamide. In between, load up on barrier serums, masks and creams to keep your skin happy. 

myth 2.

THERE'S NO NEED TO WASH YOUR FACE IN THE MORNING

We can't stress this enough - always wash your face in the morning! Twice a day is the magic number. This is because bacteria, sweat and grime accumulate on your skin while you sleep. Simply splashing water on your face may not always be enough to leave it clean. Particularly if you have oily, textured or congestion-prone skin, we say oil cleanse, wash your face and swipe it with a pH-balancing toner before you use any serums, moisturizers and SPF.  Here's a gross fact for you - a study found that our pillowcases can contain up to 39x more bacteria than pet-food bowls and several thousand times more bacteria than a toilet seat (ewww), 

myth 3.

CONIDITONERS CAN BE APPLIED ON YOUR SCALP

As a general rule of thumb, conditioners should never be applied to your scalp. Conditioners are usually formulated for treating and moisturizing our hair (which is technically dead once it exits the scalp). Its ingredients are designed to coat and soften our strands, to improve their appearance and manageability. However,the same ingredients can also block the pores on our scalp, cause irritation and exacerbate dandruff. Hence, conditioners work best from mid-lengths to tips. If you need a bit of extra moisture on the scalp, your best bet is a scalp serum, tonic or rosehip oil. 

myth 4.

YOU NEED TO CHANGE YOUR SKINCARE OFTEN OR IT STOPS BEING EFFECTIVE

This technically isn't true - your skincare doesn't stop being effective, but the biggest and most noticeable improvements are always at the start. Eventually, you may notice your routine's effect to be less dramatic. This doesn't mean it's stopped working - it simply means your skin is reaching peak performance! The other factor to keep in mind is that our skin changes all throughout our lives - and sometimes within the year, depending on what season it is or how much stress you're under. Tweaking your routine here and there to suit your environment and your skin's needs at the time is the way to go. What might be awesome in peak winter may not look as good in the middle of a hot, humid summer.

myth 5.

NATURAL INGREDIENTS ARE ALWAYS BETTER

This is true sometimes, but not always! The best skincare is generally a blend of high quality synthetic ingredients as well as natural ingredients. For example, lemon juice is 100% natural, but not great on your face. Antioxidants can be both synthetic or natural, but both types are just as effective in protecting your skin. Interestingly, skin can be sensitive to natural fragrances (i.e. essential plant oils) but be totally fine with added synthetic fragrance (e.g. perfume). Hence, when it comes to your skincare, what's better really depends on your skin and your needs.